Social impact of ethnoarchaeological research on ceramics in the Comitán region, Chiapas, México

Summary

This is an abstract from the "Ceramics and Archaeological Sciences" session, at the 90th annual meeting of the Society for American Archaeology.

This work focuses on the social changes observed after 5 years of studying pottery making in the Eastern Highlands of Chiapas. Pottery making among the descendants of Tojolabal Maya is documented to compare techniques and materials used in Protohistoric period (1500-1600) wares with modern ones. During this research we established close relationships with potters, their families, local people interested in local crafts and identified social problems affecting the survival of the craft. We teamed up with local artists and teachers to educate the public on the potter’s work, their history and increase the price of pottery to fairer standards. Working alongside the potters to organize a pottery fairs and exhibitions also led to unexpected findings as our interactions became much closer, we learned of the problems with clay mining and the increasing privatization, historical trauma that has affected potters and detected a much richer universe of pottery uses including colonial and modern innovations. The goal of this presentation is to share with colleagues how the process of establishing a successful pottery fair could inspire similar applications in their workplaces across the world.

This Resource is Part of the Following Collections

• Ceramics and Archaeological Sciences   •
• Society for American Archaeology 90th Annual Meeting, Denver, CO (2025)

Keywords

Record Identifiers

Abstract Id(s): 50639